What Dining at the 7 Most Expensive Restaurants in the U.S. Costs

We love dining out — it serves as a form of entertainment, relaxation, and it can be exciting to try something new. Dinner seems to be the meal we enjoy eating at restaurants the most, and last year we spent roughly $15 per meal while out to eat. That’s really a lot of money when you think about it. When you and a guest go out and spend $30 (even more than that when you add in a higher tip rate), you could be buying at least three dinners instead. So what are we really paying for? We can entertain ourselves other ways, for free. We can relax at home sitting on our couches.

Is it the experience? On anniversaries, gatherings, and special occasions, people are content shelling out a few hundred dollars on a single meal. Restaurants make us feel like for that evening, it is our turn to have people tend to our needs as during the week, we’re caring for children, turning in assignments to our bosses, and reporting to someone. Five-start restaurants only enhance this feeling.

Some of the most expensive restaurants in the country pull out all of the stops, creating an unforgettable dining experience. Using a publication by The Daily Meal, we found some restaurants that can really break the bank. Is it worth the price tag? Well, that’s for you to decide.

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1. Masa in New York City (the check is typically around $1,270)

“Refined beauty that isn’t affected by time or social changes. Shibui is never complicated or contrived. Purity of being, of living, of sensing is inherent in all elements of the Masa experience,” reads the Masa website. Chef Masa Takayama’s attention to detail and simplistic approach to creating artful dishes has turned his restaurant into an eating experience that’s tough to match. Customers call their dining experience “unforgettable” and their dishes “works of art.”

These artful food creations come with an extreme price tag, though. With each person looking at a cost of $450 (and that’s before tip), this restaurant is either for the wealthy, or for really special occasions. When you plan a night out a Masa, make sure you have a solid plan because if you fail to cancel a reservation without at least 48 hours notice, a $200 per person cancellation fee applies.